Use of random specimens of urine to compare dietary intakes of African and British children.

Widdowson, E. M., and McCance, R. A. (1970). Archives of Disease in Childhood, 45, 547. Use of random specimens of urine to compare the dietary intakes of African and British Children. Specimens of urine were obtained during the forenoon from 45 Ugandan and 45 British boys and girls below 4 years of age who were attending clinics for healthy children. By employing known facts about the excretion of creatinine, and by making certain assumptions, it was possible to obtain a surprising amount of information about the nature of the food consumed. This agreed well with what was already known about it. The method has distinct possibilities and could be made more quantitative by using a reference group about which more was known.